Impacts of Sanctification

Impacts of Sanctification

   What, if any, are the impacts of sanctification? What is impacted? How are the intellect, affections, will, and body made holy and conformed to the image of Christ?

Intellect

   The intellect of the believer must be sanctified or grow in Christlikeness. Since the believer is a new creation, the new self must be renewed in knowledge after the image of Christ. Our thoughts make us what we are. They control us and govern our affections and wills. The mind of a believer must not be underestimated, ignored, polluted, or malnourished. The mind must be fed a steady diet of God's word in order to maintain the health of the body and soul. Neglect here is perilous. Disregard for the mind means disregard for the soul. What we feed our minds fills our hearts, warms our affections, and guides our wills.

   We are to think differently. “...The new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Col. 3:10). Believers must grow in knowledge and discernment. “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God” (Phil. 1:9-11).

   This is achieved by our cooperation with the Spirit as he transforms and renews our minds. “ Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). The intellect is sanctified by increasing in knowledge of God. Simply put, we must learn all we can of God, his ways, and his works. “And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-10). Another way that are minds grow in holiness is by taking every thought captive. We must guard our minds and thoughts. “We...take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2Cor. 10:5).

Affections

   The affections are the passions, the heart, the emotions, the very being or center of a person. If the intellect is the mind, the affections are the soul. The Christian, then, is to mature in soul; to become more like Christ in the heart. When the heart or soul is transformed, this affects the entire life of a believer. The believer becomes more spiritual. Attitudes and dispositions are changed. There is joy in the soul, praise in the heart, and songs on the lips.

   Believers are to grow in the fruits of the Spirit. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:22-24). These fruits are our inner being, our passions and affections.

   As believers grow and mature, they must wage war on the passions of the flesh. “Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul” (1Pet. 2:11). We must, with the help of the Spirit, overcome the sinful desires of our flesh. This is achieved by growing in Christlikeness, or the fruits of the Spirit. Our godly affections increase stymieing and retarding our sinful passions- the flesh.

   What follows is a hatred for the world. “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1Jn. 2:15). As we are transformed, we become more and more dissatisfied with the world and all the sin, godlessness, hatred, and impurities it contains.

   Along with these, as a believer's affections are made more like the Savior's, the heart desires to only obey God. “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness” (Rom. 6:17-18). Everything changes. The soul that once obeyed the lusts of the flesh now desires to submit to the Lord of glory.

   What all of this means is that a believer is transformed from the inside out. This results in the destruction of sinful passions. Our flesh becomes weaker and weaker, while our hearts grow in holiness and godliness. Our very natures are transformed- everything is different and made new.

Will

   When the minds and affections of believers are transformed, the will is stirred and aligned with the rest of the faculties. The will is our ability to choose. Once the will is impacted by the grace of God and the power of the Spirit, it becomes easier and more frequent to determine to live for godliness rather than sin. The soul, the entire person, is resolved to behave more like Christ.

   God works in the life of believers in order to impact their wills so that they will obey his. Our wills must be bent to desire to please and obey God. “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13). “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21).

   The objective of our salvation is that those created new in Christ Jesus are to do good works. We are saved to do the works of God; saved to do his will. Our wills have got to be altered in order for us to accomplish this. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). “...Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Tit. 2:13-14).

   Put simply, believers obey God and seek to do what pleases him. Since our natures have been made new in Christ, our wills have been radically transformed. Our lust for sin has been replaced by a love for godliness and holiness. Our natural bent to disobey the Lord has been altered so much so that we now are compelled to obey God. Christians are truly new creatures. We now serve God, in addition to what has already been mentioned, out of a sense of gratitude for all that he has done on our behalf. Believers demonstrate their appreciation of God for his salvation and amazing blessings by obeying him and seeking to glorify him by endeavoring to become more like Christ. It is now our aim in life to honor and serve our Lord.

Body

   The body of a believer must also come under the influence of the sanctifying power of God. Christians are not only to grow in Christlikeness in their intellects, affections, and wills, but their bodies too must be made holy. The flesh must be subdued and purified.

Believers are encouraged to keep their bodies sound and blameless. “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Thess. 5:23). The body of a believer is to be holy and cleansed of anything that defiles. “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God” (2Cor. 7:1).

   In addition, the body is not to be used as an instrument for sin. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” (Rom. 6:12-13). One way believers may do this is to flee from sexual immorality. “The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1Cor. 6:13).

   The body of a believer is to glorify God. Our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1Cor. 6:19-20). This means, among other things, that we are to care for our bodies. They, as well as our souls, have been redeemed by Christ. Therefore, we are to protect them, consume healthy food, drink plenty of water, get enough rest, abstain from damaging substances, exercise, and refrain from anything and everything that will harm, corrupt, poison, or weaken. Not only must we avoid sin, but we must also care for what God has given us. Sanctification includes our bodies being made into the image of Christ- growing in holiness and decreasing in sinfulness.

   The holiness of God touches every sphere of our lives and being. Nothing is left unaffected by the sanctifying influence of God. The minds, hearts, decisions, and bodies of believers are impacted. Nothing is the same. Salvation changes everything. Conformity to Christ in body and soul is now the sole driving force in a believer. We want to be like our Savior. We want to honor and glorify the King with the gifts that he has bestowed upon us. And, the chief gift is ourselves- our soul, life, intellect, affections, will, and body. May everything in us, including us, be conformed into the image of Christ, by his grace and for his glory.